Fastforward to the Ending
by AlternateEndings
Summary: How can one kiss destroy Sasuke’s chances? And how can he piece them back together to get exactly what he wants? [SasuSaku]
1. Chapter 1

"Uh…Sasuke?"

"Hn."

Sakura sighed. Sasuke looked straight ahead, bottomless-black eyes clouded in thought.

_Probably about some fighting technique, or how annoying I am. Or about that pretty fan girl just then. _Sakura thought miserably.

For the first time, and probably the last, Sakura and Sasuke were walking together, if not several feet apart. They were on their way to meet up with Naruto for some sort of "surprise". No doubt a botched attempt at edible ramen.

"…never mind."

She shoved her hands in her pockets and kept her head down, trying to match his footsteps out of boredom.

"Oh, and Sasuke?"

"…"

"…forget it."

Sakura bit her lip and let her pink hair fall into her eyes. What was the use? It was pretty obvious he didn't feel the same way. Sakura knew what Sasuke hated and…hated even more: he didn't like whiny girls, clingy people, idiots (Naruto was an exception), people who talked too much, that kind of thing.

So Sakura tried to maintain neutrality on these points that she kept foremost in her mind. And where had it gotten her? No where. It had probably just done worse.

"What happened to "Sasuke-kun"?" His bored, monotonous voice made her jump.

"Oh, uh…I grew up." She drew a shaky breath and looked away.

How embarrassing.

-

Sasuke snatched a glance at Sakura's turned head, her hair whipping in the wind. Her frame was thin, her skin paling. Truthfully, he had missed her name for him, how she used to sometimes whisper it when something was wrong, and how his heart would wrench and he had to restrain himself from running over to her and just holding her.

Now, Sakura was no longer the innocent, vulnerable, insane and crazy Sakura. She was hard, toughened, not-so-weak Sakura.

And it pained him to know that it was all his fault.

But was she really all that tough? He watched now as she took a hand out of her pocket, shaking like a piece of paper in the wind. Thin fingers pulled back hair to reveal a hollow profile. Sasuke's fists clenched in his pockets.

"Are you…never mind." She started.

"What."

"Nothing. Just forget it."

"What were you going to say."

"Nothing! It. Was. Nothing!" She turned to face him, exasperated. He stared at her.

"You don't get any less annoying, do you?"

She stared back. She closed her eyes, shook and lowered her head. Her composure broke.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I just wanted to know if you were okay. It's getting cold. Not like the famous _Uchiha Sasuke _could be anything _less _than _fine_." She spat.

She avoided his gaze and continued walking.

"Come on. We're late."

-

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto raced over to her, grinning ear-to-ear.

"Close your eyes! It's a surprise!" Reluctantly, Sakura closed her eyes, unable to stop a grin spreading across her own face. He led her away.

"Come _on_, Sasuke. It's a surprise for Sakura!" Sakura cringed at the last bit. He wasn't walking. He was being forced to come.

"Alright, what is i—Oh, thank you so much, Naruto! No one has ever done this for me…ever."

Laid out in front of her was the best birthday any girl could ask for.

"So, where're the prezzies, idiot?" She joked, nudging him in the ribs.

"Oh," he scratched his head, "I told Sasuke to pike up something." He looked up expectantly.

"Oh. I forgot." Sasuke said lazily.

Sakura plastered a smile on her face. "That's alright. This is perfect. I was only joking."

-

Hours later, Naruto was out cold, sprawled on the couch and snoring quietly. Sakura sat, watching the sky turn dark. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her and turned quickly, startled.

Sasuke.

-

Sakura pursed her lips and turned back. Sasuke placed two hands on her shoulders and felt her tense.

"What is it, Sasuke?" She said with a sigh. Sasuke gatherd up his courage.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting to do this, so don't get mad at me—"

Sakura turned to face him, skepticism written all over her face.

And then, Sasuke's lips were upon her own, prying open her mouth, _kissing her._

A kiss she could have gotten lost in.

She broke away quickly, shock paralyzing her. Sasuke stared back, anxiety making his heart race. Surely that was a yes?...

"Why did you do that?" She breathed, still unbelieving. He took a step closer.

"Because…because…" He couldn't say it. His damn pride.

"Because you love me." He bowed his head, ashamed. She looked beyond pissed.

"What! So you thought you would give a poor girl some hope and _kiss _her! Because you thought she _loved _you! Well, newsflash, Sasuke, this girl doesn't have hope anymore. She gave up on it a LONG time ago. And if you cared about anything besides yourself, you would have heard that I've grown up! I don't cling to fantasies anymore! I'm with someone who actually loves me, Sasuke! Now can you smile and be happy for me?" She smiled tearfully. "He loves me Sasuke. **He loves me**."


	2. Chapter 2

Sasuke slammed his fist into the wall. _How could he have been so **stupid**!_

Yes, she would have moved on. There was no use.

All those years of thinking what he needed was to better himself and get stronger, to push people away from him and only focus on his one true goal.

But now, watching Sakura receding into the distance, he knew that he had made a mistake. He could have had everything.

But instead, he had nothing. Nothing but anger.

He didn't know why he had pushed Sakura away in the past. In the beginning, he had seen her as just another immature coworker. As they progressed, he had felt that she had not known how to express her feelings properly, showering him with her gifts and loud, obnoxious voice. But still, there were those little things that attracted him to her—her kindness, naivety, and the shy smile that sometimes found its way onto her face. She got under his skin, invaded his private thoughts and dreams.

And those eyes.

Those emerald, emerald, eyes. How they confused him. Made his head spin and clouded clear, logical thinking.

And then something in him snapped. Feelings that he had kept bottled up burst. He realized what he wanted. What he **_needed_**.

But he was too late.

Or was he?

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and let out a long, exhausted sigh.

Step 1: Find out who the lucky bastard is.

-

Sakura smiled as she felt Miruko absentmindedly stroke her hand where their fingers were entwined.

A thin, lanky figure, but not without substantial muscles, Miruko was sweet, sentimental, and kind. If you passed him on the street, you might not give the boy with glasses a second glance, but that's what attracted him to Sakura. He didn't need to go out of his way to emit a certain glow, a certain radiance, that was just too adorable.

Miruko made her feel beautiful. Like she was the love of his life. Like she mattered.

Sasuke never did that. He belittled her, in his own way. Or perhaps it was just her imagination…

_Sasuke_. She thought angrily. Her grip must have tightened on Miruko's hand, because he looked down at her curiously, but a smile spread across his face soon afterwards, as though he understood it all. His arm moved to her shoulders and slipped underneath her hair, his fingers brushing the skin on the back of her neck. She sighed, and pressed into him, hooking a finger into his jeans. She heard a suppressed gasp of surprise, and giggled, tracing patterns underneath his shirt and around his bellybutton, slowly circling lower.

His voice hitched in his throat.

"S-Sakura…"

"Shhh…" She cut him off and placed her free hand against his lips and lay him down on the tatami room floor.

"Get undressed." She instructed softly, murmuring as she pulled her shirt over her head. Miruko looked at her, unsure of what to do, but obeyed, and unzipped his pants, folding them neatly and tossing them to a corner. He crossed his legs and stared, warm, chocolate brown eyes searching hers.

"Now what do we do?" He whispered.

"Now," she said, leaning forward and kissing his jawline as he gulped, "you kiss me."

-

Miruko lay on his back and readjusted his lopsided glasses, breathing heavily as Sakura's thigh occasionally rubbed against his groin, her fingers resting on his chest. He tilted his head, smiling at Sakura's half-lidded eyes.

"Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

He stroked her hair.

"You're so beautiful."

Sakura smiled, and rolled on top of him.

"And you, my love, are my knight in shining armor. Or should I say, in very sexy boxers." She snapped the elastic, and giggled as he blushed, grabbing her hair to capture her in a kiss that was anything but gentle.

"Ooh, Miruko…I think I like this side of you." He pushed up his glasses and grinned, placing his hands behind his head as she stood up and walked out to get a drink.

"You look nice from over here." She turned around and winked. She walked out and yawned, opening the fridge door to pull out some lemonade. She rested against the counter and looked out of the window.

She felt a body behind her and almost choked on her lemonade as she remembered the night at Naruto's. She was about to whip around when a chest created pressure on her back.

"I don't want our neighbors to see you…" Her eyes involuntarily fluttered close and she let out a content sigh as two strong hands reached from behind and cupped her breasts, pinning her arms to her side at the same time.

"And…and why ever…not…" She breathed, struggling to get the words out as her body relaxed, Miruko gently massaging with his hands.

"Because I want you all for myself." He murmured into her ear, causing pleasant shivers to run up her spine. She arched against his chest.

"Getting…possessive now…are we…"

"Shhh…it's my turn now…"

-

"AAARRGGGHHHH!" Sasuke threw the binoculars onto the floor and stomped away from the window, practically tearing out his hair.

THAT BASTARD WAS TOUCHING HIS GIRL!

He had seen him, but hadn't caught his name. Not like he could hear. But still. He had seen him.

A tall man—no, a boy, a mere boy was standing in his way. What did he have that Sasuke did not?

Glasses? Brown hair? Skinny arms?

Sasuke looked at himself in the mirror.

_What is wrong with this body? _He thought to himself.

**Maybe it isn't your body. Maybe it's your attitude.**

_Oh, shut up. Like you know anything._

**I know what Sakura likes.**

_Tell me._

**Nope.**

_Hey, wait! Get back here—_

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

**They make a cute couple though, you have to admit.**

_SHUT UP!_

**Okay, okay, jeez. And here I was, thinking you wanted me back.**

Sasuke stared.

"AH-HAH!"

Sasuke's slumped form sprang to life as an idea formed in his mind.

He would go over and introduce himself.

Hopefully, Sakura hadn't told her little skinny-armed boyfriend about him.

Step 2: Break them up.

* * *

Hello, again, 

SakuMiru? MiruSaku? Rings a strangely familiar bell xD.

If you could help me get at least 10 reviews initially, I would be really grateful. I have a pretty good idea of where this story'll be going, so sit tight and let it unravel for itself xP.

AlternateEndings


	3. Chapter 3

Sasuke took a deep breath a couldn't suppress a smirk.

This was going to be perfect.

_Well, here goes nothing. _He thought.

Stepping onto the 'Welcome' mat, he raised his hand to the door and knocked three times.

-

"Don't let go." Sakura whined as she felt Miruko's arm around her waist loosen itself, the cool air in the tatami room chilling her searing hot skin.

"There's someone at the door, sweet—"

"Ignore them." She commanded, letting her hand innocently sweep across his tenting boxers, causing him to grunt and fall back into place on the ground.

"You can't keep," he grunted, "controlling me like this."

"Yes I can," she sang softly, "I'm a big girl now."

The door bell rang persistently.

Miruko gripped Sakura around the hips and gently hoisted her up.

"Come on, get a shirt on."

Sakura silently sulked, but did as she was told and got on a long knee-length pajama top, slinking to the door and yanking it open.

"Hello, Sakura." A deep voice said.

"S-Sasuke!" Sakura almost yelled, disbelieving.

"You know this man, Sakura?" She heard Miruko's voice behind her.

"Yes, well, no! But—"

"Oh, **hello**! Uchiha Sasuke. And you must be…" Sasuke inwardly cringed. All this emotion was paining him.

"Ichiwa Miruko. Sakura, who—"

"Oh," Sasuke nodded knowingly, "you must be the friend Sakura was telling me about. Well, I just came to say hi and introduce myself. See you round, Sakura."

And with that, he planted a long, passionate kiss right on unsuspecting Sakura's lips.

-

Sasuke suppressed an evil cackle as he pressed his ear to the door outside to await their reactions. It was foolproof!

-

"S-Sakura?" Miruko stood behind her, she still staring at the door. His eyes were wide, his hands were shaking. She spun aware, momentarily forgetting that she was not the only one in the room.

"M-Miruko, I swear, it's not what it seems… She looked at him desperately.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He whispered.

"He isn't my boyfriend on the side, no way! I hate his guts!" She tried to move closer to him, but he backed away, falling into a chair, shaking his head.

"I'm…I'm just a friend?" His voice cracked, and he bowed his head, tears falling from his eyes.

"Miruko!" She cried, running over to him. "Don't cry…I love you." She whispered, tears spilling from her own eyes. He wiped his away angrily.

"I know. You cheated because I'm not _manly _enough. I can't believe I actually thought a girl like you would like a guy like me. I saw him. Big, strong, tough. Oh, god!"

"Miruko, look at me." She commanded, holding his face in her hands.

"LOOK AT ME!" He looked up, glaring. She sat across his lap, and held a stare.

"If you love me, you'll believe me when I say that I love you with all my heart—I'd die for you, Miruko, and I'm not lying. They guy at the door was a mere childhood crush of mine who's decided that he wants to ruin my life by just being in it." She smiled. "I love everything about you, Miruko. **I love you.**"

Miruko lifted his head and smiled slightly.

"_I love you, too._" He enveloped her in a bear hug, and cried into her shoulder.

-

Outside, Sasuke banged his head on the door.

"DAMMIT!"

* * *

Hey, guys,

For all those lovely readers who got me those reviews, I'm sending you a virtual chocolate chip cookie to express my gratitude; you guys are the best!

If you have any suggestions on the next step you think Sasuke should take in trying to get Sakura back,put it into a review. The best suggestions will definitely be used!

Thanks,

AlternateEndings


	4. Chapter 4

Sakura and Miruko walked hand in hand to the ice cream parlor. The elderly looked at them, and smiled, talking amongst themselves. What a great couple. Women looked dreamily, wishing that their husbands were as caring as Miruko. What a great couple. Husbands scowled, and pulled their wives away to bribe them with ice cream.

_He looks gay. _Sasuke thought sulkily to himself, hiding behind a wall that was blocked by a small vendor.

**They look happy together. Maybe you should just forget about it.**

_Shut up. Can't you see the way she's leaning on him? And the way they look at each other! It's all wrong! _

…

_Fine. You were right. But I'm not giving up. Uchiha Sasuke _**never**_ gives up._

-

"Miruko, I'm going to go to the washroom, okay?"

"Alright. What flavor ice cream do you want?" He asked, counting his change in his hand.

"Vanilla…" She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, long and hard.

"I have to—" Miruko kissed her on the cheek, "It's in public!" He whispered. She giggled and skipped off, blowing him a kiss. Smiling as she turned around, she squealed and twirled.

She was happy.

For the first time in her life, she was a girly happy. She felt tipsy, dizzy, and went into the bathroom to clear her head, thoughts of Miruko swimming in her mind.

-

"Uh, can I have one vanilla ice cream and uh…one mint chocolate ice cream, please? Thanks." Miruko said, pushing up his glasses and recounting his change.

Sasuke got ready, and decided to make his move.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't little _Ichiwa Miruko_." He sneered, clapping Miruko heavily on the back, causing him to sputter.

"What the—who the hell are you?" He squinted, knocking the hand off his shoulder.

Sasuke tsked.

"You mean, you don't remember me? How could you not remember _me, _the famous Uchiha Sasuke!" He laughed, and dipping his finger in the vanilla, licking in off his finger and grimacing in distaste.

"Who…oh, it's **you**." Miruko stepped towards him. "Well, listen here, Uchiha, if you think that you can take Sakura away from me, think again. She loves _me_, kid, not you. Give it up."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not a **kid**."

"Well, you sure act like one."

"I sure don't fight like one."

"Well let's see it then!"

"Bring it on, nerd boy." Miruko dropped the ice creams, and made a lunge at Sasuke.

The crowd watched on, some in amusement, some in disgust, some in horror, as the two boys wrestled on the ground.

Sasuke inwardly smirked.

"Miruko!" A female voice called out. "What are you doing!"

Miruko had Sasuke pinned on the ground, punching his face, arms, and chest. Sasuke seemed to be lying there in pain, too weak to stand and defend himself.

"Sakura!" Miruko stood up quickly. "This man…this man was insulting you!" He said quickly. He looked smugly around. He had won.

Or so he thought.

"Sasuke! What have you done to him!" She crouched beside him, glaring.

"What!" He looked disbelieving. "I didn't do anything! I'm the injured one here!"

"Miruko? Is this true?" She looked at Miruko like a mother to a lying child, and he smiled sheepishly. She threw up her hands in exasperation and hoisted Sasuke to his feet.

"I'm going to help him, alright? It's the least we can do to say sorry about what has happened." She hooked an arm around her shoulders.

_Like as if I need help._

**You wouldn't mind it.**

_Score. Pin the blame on the boyfriend._

-

"Take off your shirt." Sasuke smirked, and did as he was told, throwing it into a corner and sitting, waiting. Sakura had her back toward him, preparing.

"And don't try anything while you're at it." She shot, pausing to glare. He just smirked. She rolled her eyes.

"Alright. Stick your arm out."

She gulped, placing an unsure hand over his muscles, enjoying the feeling of the contours they made, much to her disgust.

"So, how have you been doing, Sakura?" She swallowed.

"O-oh, I've been doing great. Just great. A-and…how about you?"

Placing her hands on his chest, she blushed, surprised at how easy it was to get used to the feeling of his bare skin. As she rubbed ointment onto the wounded areas, she felt the hardness of his muscles, and how they contracted and relaxed as she moved her hands. She was almost tempted to…

_No! Stop this nonsense! Just get it over with and get out!_

**Shut up and enjoy it. You know you like it.**

_But…but…I feel guilty! What about Miruko?_

**What about him? Sure, he's been there for you and all that jazz, but face it, do you not get _bored _sometimes? **

_N-no…_

Sasuke grinned. He could read every emotion flitting across her face.

"Sakura."

"Ah! Oh, yeah, sorry. Zoned out for a second."

"Hn. I'll make a deal with you."

She narrowed her eyes.

"What kind of deal?" She asked suspiciously.

"If you give me something, I'll stop bothering you. You'll never think about me again."

"…Um…al-alright…sure…just as long as you _promise _to stay away from me."

"Promise."

Her eyes widened.

"Really?"

He smirked, flexing his muscles.

"Really."

"Alright, what do I give you?"

"A kiss."

-

Sakura and Sasuke went their separate ways.

But Sakura felt like crying. Crying for joy, or crying for sadness, she didn't know.

All she knew was that she had just kissed Uchiha Sasuke.

And she liked it.

No, even better, she loved it.

He had promised that she wouldn't ever think about him, ever again.

But here she was, staring into space and dreaming of him.

"DAMN IT, SASUKE! YOU KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!"


	5. Chapter 5

Sakura thought about Sasuke all weekend.

She thought about him on Monday.

She thought about him on Tuesday.

She thought about him on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

And by Saturday, she had had enough.

Miruko had noticed a change in Sakura as well.

She was less energetic, and brushed him off dazedly when he attempted to kiss her. When he asked her a question, she simply stared blankly across his shoulder, her mouth agape.

Finally, one day, he got irritated.

"Sakura, is there something I should know about? Something you're not telling me?"

Sakura's head was resting on her knee, and she rocked from side to side, as if in a trance.

He waited.

"SAKURA!"

"Huh?" She looked up stupidly. "Oh, right, yeah, it's nothing. I'm just tired."

"But you've been tired for the whole week! After one week of being told time after time that your girlfriend of two and a half years is "tired" you know something isn't right."

She pouted, and stood up.

"Oh, Miruko…" She put a hand on his chest, but he took if off and held her wrists by her sides.

He sighed.

"It's not going to work this time, Sakura. Something's on your mind, and I'm pretty sure I know what it is."

"Miruko, you're being paranoid. I really am just tired."

"No, you're not. You're thinking about that guy!"

"What guy!" She asked angrily, wrenching from his loose hold.

"The guy at the ice cream parlor! Uchiha Sasuke!"

"NO, I'M NOT!"

"Yes, you _are_. You DID something with him in the medic room, didn't you? Don't lie to me, Sakura!" He yelled.

"I'M NOT LYING! I'M NOT THINKING ABOUT HIM! I'm not thinking about him…" She balled up her fists in panic and irritation. She furiously stomped past him, purposely knocking his shoulder.

Much to her surprise, he grabbed it and turned to face her, staring at her with narrowed eyes.

"…You don't love me, do you." He stated.

She screamed and stomped her feet, hitting him and grabbing a nearby cushion off the sofa, hurling it in a random direction.

"You know, I wish you would just STOP SAYING THAT. BECAUSE IT ISN'T TRUE! Could you just SHUT UP!"

She yanked a coat off the rank and ran out the door, ignoring Miruko's calls and apologies echoing down the darkening streets.

Sakura didn't know what overcame her. Something inside her just seemed to explode.

Miruko's stupid thoughts. His paranoia. His retarded accusations.

As bad as it was, she just wanted to slap her boyfriend.

Too many thoughts were running through her mind.

_How is it that after so many years, Sasuke can just come back into my life and leave me like this, but Miruko just seems to disappear?_

**Well, maybe it's because—**

_Shut up. I don't want to know. _

"Wait…where am I?"

Sakura huddled closer to her jacket and looked around her. A dimming street light flickered a couple of feet away, and she stood at the entrance to a door.

"Sasuke?" She breathed.

Her feet had done all the work.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door three times

-

"Ah…Sakura…what brings you here at this time of night?" He asked stretching. It was evident that he was getting ready for bed—he was clean-shaven, a battered white shirt stretched over his skin, and a pair of old mid-thigh length shorts adorning his body. Sakura's throat turned dry and she looked down, nervous. Why was she here, anyway?

"I…I…I'm sorry, did I wake you up? I'll just be going now, I don't really even know why I came…"

"Oh, no, I think you do…"

Sasuke gently grabbed her forearm, spun her inside, and bumped her against the hallway wall.

And all it took was the registration of Sasuke's lips upon her lips, Sasuke's tongue inside her mouth, Sasuke's hands sliding their way up her shirt…

_I'll have my regrets tomorrow_. She thought.

* * *

Hey, again!

You guys are the best readers in the history of best readers! You made me squeal like a teletubby on steroids, which is a scary thought in itself xP.

I have another account on FictionPress which I've briefly mentioned on my homepage.If you could visit and R&R, you would be like…

…really awesome xD!

I'll even make the next chapter extra long (hehhe…)

Thanks,

AlternateEndings


	6. Chapter 6

"Sakura!" He whined.

Sasuke stood at one end of the bed, Sakura at the other.

"I have to get back to…" She hesitated, remembering her boyfriend.

Sasuke scowled.

"You have to get back to _Miruko_? Oh, please, Sakura, you just cheated on him. With me! Miruko doesn't like cheaters, remember?" He smirked, and attempted to caress her cheek.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Well, you just eliminated any chance of getting **this **Sakura back." She threw off his hands and stomped off, not looking back.

"Hey!" He called, disgruntled. "Where are you going? This is **my** house!"

"I'm LEAVING!" She yelled.

"What for? You smell fine the way you do! Just like me!"

"See ya, Sasuke!" She skipped out and skidding out the door, grinning madly.

He poked his head out.

"You promise you'll come back?" He called after her.

"I PROMISE!" She yelled back happily.

She laughed, and raced out the door like she was on top of the world. Slamming the front door, she rested against it, breathing heavily. Sliding down and sitting, she looking up at the still dark sky. She had stayed for an hour, no more, and no less. But it felt like she had stayed for days.

_Nothing happened._

**Liar. **

_It's true! We talked, and caught up. Watched TV, ate popcorn._

**And you kissed him.**

I _didn't kiss him. _He _kissed _me!

**You want to hold him, you want to kiss him, you want to—**

She stood up and smacked her head.

**Ouch. **

"Goodbye, Sasuke-kun."

She gasped, and slapped a hand over her mouth.

She had said it!

The dreaded three-letter suffix that had her crying out his name.

Sakura groaned, and buried her head in her hands.

It was all coming back now.

All the feelings she thought she had left behind, all of the things she had wanted to throw away…

They were all flooding back, and there was no way to stop them.

-

"I'm going to regret this…" Sasuke muttered under his breath. Picking up the phone, he plucked up his courage and for the last time, went through with the whole thing and reluctantly dialed the number.

"Hello? Yeah…this is uh…Sasuke." He muttered.

"What? Who is this?" A male voice said at the other end.

"This. Is. Sasuke!" He said through clenched teeth.

"Fish fillet? They're not bad, but what does that have to do with—"

"SASUKE!" He roared into the phone.

"Sasuke?" The voice whispered, awed. "Is that really you?"

"No, it's a mutant turtle."

Silence.

"Oh, alright then, well, I'll—"

"NARUTO!"

"Oh **hiya **Sasuke! What do you want?" The voice said cheerfully.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I need…help."

"Anytime! What kind of help?"

"Well, in simple terms…girl help."

-

"Alright, so let me get this straight: Sakura is with a wimpy guy named Miruko but she cheated on him with you and you want to get her back but you don't know how because she keeps on sticking with Miruko and evading you?"

Sasuke flopped onto the couch and smacked his head.

"For the **last time**, Naruto, YES, **THAT IS IT!**"

_I knew I was going to regret this._

Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji, and Sasuke were draped in various areas of the room, developing a plan for Sasuke's problem. So far, the furthest they had gotten was the objective.

"Alright. So…what are we supposed to do?" He questioned, looking confused.

Neji bit the end of his pen and furrowed his brow.

"Okay, we'll take this step by step. First, we'll bust into Sakura's house. After that, we'll be tired, so we'll invite ourselves for sake. Then, we'll order this Miruko fellow to surrender Sakura or we'll fight him."

"You idiot, we can't do that." Shikamaru drawled lazily, picking at his nails with an upturned nose.

"Why not! It's a brilliant plan!" Neji defended.

"Because I can't be bothered." He stated.

Sasuke buried his head in the corner between the couch and the cushions.

"Kill me now." He mumbled.

-

Sakura carefully opened the door to her house and tiptoed in, placing her bag down and hanging her coat back up.

Instead of getting her head cleared, she had just gotten more confused.

She made her way to the kitchen, taking one last look behind her before stepping inside, flipping the lights on and—

"AHHHHH!" She squealed, jumping about a foot in the air as she bumped straight into Miurko, his arms over his chest.

She stared blankly, trying to think of a reasonable lie.

"What were you doing?" He asked, obviously trying to keep his cool.

She quickly recovered.

"Oh, I was just at the park, clearing my head." She brushed past him and went to the fridge, trying to look nonchalant as she got out a glass of water.

He sounded surprised.

"Really?"

"Really." She turned to face him and smiled.

"I'm sorry." She took his hand and led him to the tatami room.

"I'm sorry, too," he bowed his head, "I shouldn't have accused you."

Sakura didn't say anything. Instead, she closed her eyes and rested her head at the crook of his neck. In an attempt to dissolve some of the guilt that was rising, she gave him a quick kiss and stepped inside the dark room.

"Let's go to sleep. It's late."

-

Sakura was up early the next morning.

_I'm going to settle this with Sasuke once and for all. _She thought fiercely.

"Miruko, sweetie, baby…" She whispered, wiping back his hair. His eyes slowly opened, and he smiled groggily.

"I'm going out. I'll be right back." He smiled in way of consent and rolled back to sleep. A slight smile formed on her lips, and she retracted from her crouching position, slowly making her way to Sasuke's.

-

Sakura found that the door was open, so she cautiously invited herself in.

"Sasuke?" She called, staying by the door. "Sas—"

She was cut off by a pair of lips pressing themselves against hers, forcing her mouth open and gently nipping her lower lip, causing her to roughly hook a leg around his and yank him forward. They toppled to the floor, and stopped to catch a breath.

She grinned and exhaled.

"Wow. That was—"

"WRONG! Jeez, Sasuke-teme, what did we go over—"

"NARUTO!" Sakura cried indignantly.

"What!" He looked up, his brows furrowed, reading glasses with the lenses popped out resting unsafely on the bridge of his nose, a checklist in one hand, a pen in the other.

Two other figures appeared out of the shadows.

She got up angrily. Sasuke rolled his eyes and collapsed in a heap on the floor, groaning.

"Neji…Shika…SASUKE!" She put her hands on her hips and glared at the people around her. "How could you **do **this! It was all a plan!"

"NO!" Sasuke got up and took her hands in his, shaking his head profusely.

"Then what is it, huh?"

"It…I…it's all Naruto's fault!" He pointed.

"What! I was only trying to help!" Naruto pouted.

"Hi Sakura." A figure said.

"Hiya Neji. Anyways, so what is this—"

"Sakura." The other yawned.

"Shikamaru. Just some sick plan to…to confuse me?"

"Whatcha been up to?"

"Oh, not much. Got a decent first floor apartment. So here it is, the master plan. Break Sakura's heart again!" She cried angrily, flopping onto the couch.

"Well, actually, what we were trying to do was—"

"Wait…" Sasuke sat across from her, their knees touching. "What was that you were saying? About…breaking hearts?"

She glared at him, and swatted him away.

"You oblivious little thing," she spat. "Even Miruko wouldn't do such a thing. That's the thing about Miruko. He loves me."

Sasuke grabbed her hand and pulled her to the couch, looking furiously into her eyes.

"And what makes you think I don't love you?"

All eyes were on Sakura.

"I just don't think that after all these years of hating me, and most of the people around you, you could suddenly turn around and start to love **me**."

Sasuke looked at her, unsure of what to say.

He stood abruptly, and made his way for the door.

"Well," He said rigidly, "if that's what you think, fine. Goodbye, Sakura."

And with that, he walked out of the door, never turning back.

* * *

Hey!

Phew. Three pages longer than the usual.

Well, have fun rating! (hehhehe...)

AlternateEndings


	7. Chapter 7

It took a minute for Sakura to realize what was happening.

Shikamaru yawned characteristically.

"Here we go again."

Naruto nodded and studied Sakura's face, tapping his chin.

"I see signs of…disappointment." Neji rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I'm up for some sake. What about you guys?"

"Fine with me." Shikamaru said, eyes closed.

"This is exactly what it was like when Sasuke ran out on her…except it's the other way around…the cruel irony…" Naruto said, circling Sakura.

She bolted out the door and ran for it.

"Let's have some sake, shall we?"

-

"Sasuke!" She called, panting. He didn't turn around. In fact, he started to walk faster.

"SASUKE! STOP!" She screamed, putting her head down and powering her arms and legs, sprinting forward. He whipped around, the glare he was sending even surprising her.

"And do _what_?" He spat. "Go running back to you? I tried once, I won't try again. You loved me, and now I love you, and you're throwing it all away!"

She stormed up to him.

"You think **once **is enough! You think **once **is going to undo all the damage that's been done!" She cried, exasperated. "What about what I'll be throwing away with Miruko, the man I've been with for more than two years. What about that, huh? What about everything _we've _shared, hm? But _no, _we only think about ourselves!"

He narrowed his eyes and turned on his heel, but she grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and held firm.

"You don't know how much I loved you, Sasuke. You don't know how bad it was when you left." She whispered, her eyes pleading with him to stay. "How can I say yes to anything now if I'm afraid of what might happen later?"

He ripped her hand off his shirt and shrugged his shoulders angrily.

"If you're so afraid, then why are you trying to make me stay?"

She looked at the ground, and swallowed. He scoffed, and crossed the street.

Her head shot up, tears of frustration welling in her eyes.

"Because!" She yelled desperately. "Because," She ran across the street, standing in the middle of the road. "Because maybe, just maybe, I'm having second thoughts!"

He laughed a cold, hard, mocking laugh.

"Whatever, Sakura."

He expected to hear her calling after him. He expected to hear her cry.

He expected to hear footsteps coming up from behind him, and he expected to turn around and shove her aside.

"Sakura?" He whispered, almost to himself. "Sakura!"

A screeching of tire wheels.

A thud.

"SAKURA!"

There she lay on the asphalt, like a sleeping child.

He rushed to her side, attempting to revive her. Salty tears rolled down his cheeks.

No, her body wasn't mangled, she was not bleeding to death.

But her eyes said it all.

* * *

What can I say?

I was in a bad mood.

Oh, and sorry it was so short. The next one will be longer.

AlternateEndings


	8. Chapter 8

Sasuke paced nervously down the hospital room, a shaking hand clutching a phone to his ear.

"Hello?" A voice said on the other end.

Sasuke gulped.

"It's…it's about Sakura."

-

The door burst open.

"What happened to—YOU!"

Sasuke stood up and raised his hands defensively.

"Miruko, this is not the time—"

"What do you mean this is not the time! This is **my** girlfriendwe're talking about, not _yours_! What did you do to her!"

Miruko walked up to Sasuke threateningly, before seeing Sakura laying unconscious on the bed beside them.

"Oh, my god…" He rushed over to her side, kneeling by the bed, stroking her hair and whispering sweet nothings.

Silence.

"Wh-what…what happened?" He whispered.

"She got hit by…by a car." Sasuke answered.

Miruko's fist clenched the sheets and he closed his eyes angrily.

"Oh, god…oh, Sakura…I'm sorry…so, so sorry…"

Sakura's head was lolled to one side, pink hair fanning out on the deathly white pillow. Her lips were slightly parted, the color once a soft pink now an evolving dark bruise. Features were hollow, thin hands lay eerily still on the sheets. Consistent beeping from a monitor was their only comfort.

Sasuke restrained himself from reaching out and gently stroking her face, knowing Miruko needed his time alone with her.

Other people loved her. He would just have to live with that.

But who did _she_ love? That would make the difference.

So Sasuke found himself wondering what love really is.

How can you tell when you **love **someone? It might just be a crush, a little "like" in highschool years.

Are there symptoms?

Is it the racing of the heart every time he sees her?

Is it the unwanted nervousness and welcomed happiness of seeing her smiling face?

Is it the need to keep her safe when tears trickle out of her eyes?

Is it the desire to capture her lips in a kiss?

A nurse walked in.

"I'm going to have to ask both of you to leave. Sakura is recovering well. She will probably be able to return home tomorrow."

Miruko and Sasuke looked at the nurse with skepticism written all over their faces.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke was the first to speak. "She isn't even awake."

The nurse's lips twitched into a smile.

"She is now."

-

The next day, Sasuke saw a bandaged Sakura walking home, hand in hand with a relieved Miruko. He sighed, and slid down the wall, holding his head in his hands and asking the ceiling what he did wrong.

Unbeknownst to him, his three friends stood in the doorway, watching him.

Naruto rubbed his hands together and giggled evilly.

"I think it's time for Operation R.A.M.E.N."

"What does that stand for?" Neji and Shikamaru asked simultaneously.

Naruto scratched his head.

"Still have to figure that one out."

* * *

Sorry for the excessively long wait on that one. Been really busy.

I a have a vague idea what RAMEN is going to stand for; if you have any suggestions, feel free to bombard the reviews with ideas.

hehhe..

AlternateEndings.


	9. Chapter 9

Yet again, there was a knock on Sakura's door.

Inside, Miruko's strong hands kept a tight hold on Sakura's stomach, pulling her into his lap to kiss her neck. She sighed and sank into his hold.

"Miruko…we can't ignore the door forever…" She said wearily.

"That's what I told _you_…and then look what happened…"

_Sasuke._

That's what happened.

Sakura took two deep breaths and told herself not to lose it.

_What if it was him at the door? _

"Miruko, we have to answer it."

"But Sakura…"

"No buts. Now let go." Reluctantly, his hands slid to his sides, and she felt cooler air hit the spot where they had been. Standing up, she dusted herself, as though whoever was at the door, possibly Sasuke, would see Miruko's name written on her, etched into her clothing.

He frowned but rolled his eyes, laying back to gaze at the flickering light of their kitchen.

Sakura took one last look at herself in the doorway mirror, and sighed. A bandage was wrapped securely around her neck, and scrapes were fading on her arms.

Her hand closed around the knob, and, pushing away any second thoughts her mind was harboring, yanked open the door.

-

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

Sakura slapped her head and groaned, immediately regretting it as pain seared through it.

The blonde jumped happily and enveloped her in a bear-hug, squealing like a little kid. Sakura couldn't help but smile.

"Idiot." She grinned, squeezing him back.

They pulled away, and he looked around suspiciously.

"Rumor has it that there are two lucky men vying for your attentions." He whispered mafia style.

_So this is what he came for_.

"Wow, Naruto. Big words. Good start."

"I know." He smiled smugly. "Hinata taught me."

"How _is _Hinata?" She patted him on the back, and was just about to slam the door in his face, much rather willing to face the "I told you so" from Miruko than the constant chattering of Naruto when a fist stopped her.

"Sakura—I'm sorry, but we're placing you under house arrest, along with your boyfriend." He tried to growl ominously.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Oh puh_-lease_, Naruto, you can't be serious—"

Two figures emerged from behind Naruto.

It was like a really, really, _really _bad soap opera.

A hand clamped over her mouth.

And then, all was black.

-

"Naruto, get the damn blindfold off, NOW!" Sakura screamed, well aware that Naruto was pacing up and down the room, surveying his deed.

Sakura and Miruko were tied into their kitchen table chairs, roped, and blindfolded.

"Shut up." He said.

She roared.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT TO ME YOU IDIOTIC BLONDE-HEADED RETARD!"

"Sorry!" He replied meekly, hurrying to her side to untie the piece of cloth. "Just trying out what they do in the movies!" Once it was off, she glared at him, and he undid the ropes.

She stood to her full height, and slapped him.

"Owie! I'm going to get a bruise!" He clutched his cheek and glared at her.

"Serves you right! I want an explanation, RIGHT NOW! And—where's Miruko? I thought he was here!"

"My henchmen have taken him to a separate part of this evil lair." He whispered.

"Get them."

"WHITEY! UGLY!"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Ugly? I can see Whitey, but Ugly?"

Naruto shrugged carelessly.

"We couldn't think up another cool secret code name."

Neji and Shikamaru stood at attention, although Shikamaru had his eyes closed.

"Alright. So what's the big deal, hmm?"

The three looked at each other nervously.

"Um…we…uh…well…Sasuke sent us!" Naruto blurted randomly.

Sakura's face turned slowly red.

"SASUKE SENT YOU! WHY THAT LITTLE—"

She took off at a sprint out of the door, a bounding head of pink hair seen whizzing down the street.

Two of the friends gulped.

"We're in trouble."

Naruto fished in her cabinet, and came out, looking triumphant, holding a box of guess what.

He sang gleefully.

"I **told **you it was Operation R.A.M.E.N!"

* * *

Hehehhe...

AlternateEndings.


	10. Chapter 10

Sakura slammed open Sasuke's door, knowing it was open.

She was **pissed**.

"SASUKE!" She screamed. "SASUKE! SHOW YOUR SORRY ASS RIGHT NOW OR ELSE I'LL—"

A sense of movement and the sound of creaking wood told her she was not alone, and silenced her into a readied stance.

"Sakura?" A quiet voice came from behind her.

_Sasuke?_

"You've…uh…you're better." He said, coughing behind his hand. _Phew. That was close. Almost showed some emotion there._

"No shit, Sherlock! But you just decided to make me almost die again, right? **Is that it? **Huh! By setting up poor Naruto no less!" She threw her hands up in the air and let out an exasperated sigh, still fuming.

_Naruto_, He thought with clenched teeth, _is **so **going to pay after this._

She stomped up to him, her eyes wide with fury.

"Sakura, what are you—"

"Don't give me that act of innocent, buster, you know what you did!"

"No, I don't, what—"

"STOP IT! DON'T LIE TO ME! THAT'S ALL YOU **EVER **DO!" She screamed, anger turning into frustration and confusion.

Sasuke gripped the wrists that were pounding in futile on his chest.

"Stop…" She whispered, burying her face in his shirt. "Just stop…don't leave me…"

Sasuke cradled her in his arms, inhaling the soft scent of her hair.

"Sasuke, it's just…it's…I don't know what to do anymore!" She cried, her small fists tightening around his shirt.

He kissed her cheek affectionately, and cleared his throat.

"I love you, Sakura."

She looked up too quickly, staring into his eyes.

"Wh-what?"

He watched her lips quiver, and kissed her.

"I found out what love is, Sakura. I figured it out."

Sakura brought a trembling finger to her lips, touching the spot where Sasuke's had been.

For a while, they just stood, staring at each other. It wasn't embarrassing. It wasn't intense.

It was the kind of stare that you find yourself in after you realize something that you've been trying to figure out, something that you knew—it was on the tip of your tongue, but you couldn't spit it out. The kind of stare that you want to stay in forever, knowing you've just discovered the most important thing there can be in that moment.

"What is it, Sasuke?" She whispered, her eyes glued to his, unable to pull away.

He took her face in his hands and wiped away her tears with the pad of this thumb and smiled, but just a little.

"It's you, Sakura. **It's you**."

-

Sakura spent the night.

They lay on the floor of his room, Sasuke's arm around her waist, Sakura's hand caressing his face.

Sasuke felt the urge to tell Sakura: all these times, the answer that he had been searching for had been staring him right in the face, but he saw right through it. The clues. Sakura was the one.

"I left my door opened so you could come." He murmured, enjoying the feeling of her light touch, her nails dragging softly along his skin. Openings for so much more.

She felt tears prick her eyes. She didn't know why.

"I waited for you every day."

She swallowed. His grip tightened.

"I watched your every move."

"I prayed for the day you came to me instead of me to you."

"I hate to see you cry."

"A part of me is dead inside."

"When I left—"

"—I fell apart—"

"—my world was destroyed."

"I cried myself to sleep."

"I love you, Sakura."

"Miruko…"

"A lucky man." He mumbled against her lips, letting a finger slide along the contours of her back. He felt her shudder, and increased the pressure.

All Sakura wanted now was to be held. Held by the man she loved.

Held by the man that loved her.

But how could she tell who loved her when she could not even decide who _she _loved?

"Oh, no…Miruko!"

-

He still tasted her salty tears, mixed with the biting taste of mint and the faintest taste of a sweet, tantalizingly delicious fruit.

_I can't have lost her again_. Sasuke thought to himself as he watched her run back home—again, out of reach.

"Here goes nothing."

* * *

Well, I have an announcement to make: 

I have another story started!

Oh, guys. At least try and look enthusiastic xD.

R&Rs would be appreciated ).

AlternateEndings


	11. Chapter 11

The Soundnins made their way stealthily to a dimly lit house and gave each other subtle signals.

Without so much as a creak of the wood beneath their feet, the Soundnins opened the door in the blink of an eye and slipped in, unnoticed by neighbors or the people living in the house they were raiding.

The only light on in the house was that of a small, dank room, the faint but recognizable stench of mothballs wafting out of the open door. Inside, a girl was hunched over some paperwork, trying to sort them into piles. They didn't look to be something she was familiar with, for she called out for her boyfriend to do it himself.

Only to the trained eye could shadows be seen slinking their way along the walls, behind the couch, distorting as they ran by inanimate objects. A car passed the usually quiet street. Lights filtered into the house. The figures were revealed.

Look again, and they were gone.

The leader of the Soundnins unsheathed his kunai and ran a finger along the blade. It caught the light from the room and glinted a soft, glowing white. The leader adjusted it, looking down at an angle as it gave him the perfect mirror into the Sound's target: there she was, and there was her boyfriend.

She was giggling, but it was strained. A quick turn of her head showed him the bags under her eyes—she would be easy to take down.

Her boyfriend. Tallish, knew his stuff by the way he moved. They would need more men to cover him.

But no matter. It would be a piece of cake.

The leader gave his knife a squeeze and grinned. Like his knife, it picked up the light, and flashed a deadly smile.

The rest of the Soundnins took this as their signal and simultaneously pulled out their kunai's, making their way to the opening of the door.

Inside the room, the girl sighed, and stretched.

"Miruko, we should be getting to bed, you know. It's late."

The boyfriend shook his head and continued sorting the papers, quick as lightning.

"It isn't **my **fault that you came home late and remembered you had these papers to complete."

The girl didn't answer. She wasn't listening.

She heard a noise coming from the hallway. She stopped, and slowly turned around.

Her heart quickened. She felt it pounding against her chest.

She slapped her boyfriend in the arm.

"Ouch! What the he—"

"Miruko, did you hear that?" She whispered.

Silence.

Suddenly, a small click resounded through the hall.

"It's probably the sink, you know how it's broken. Loosen up; maybe we _do _need to hit the sack."

She shook her head, and her eyes widened.

She could sense someone.

"That is no sink—"

Her boyfriend grabbed her gently by the arm and spun her back around, bending her head to look at the heaps of sheets. He smiled softly.

"Concentrate on the papers, honey, not the noises in your head."

She had no energy to get mad at him, merely shuffled the papers into random piles, a million thoughts running through her head.

_You're being paranoid. _She convinced herself.

**So you think. **Her Inner voice sat crosslegged, filing her nails with great interest.

She pushed her away.

She snatched a quick glance at her boyfriend, who was currently muttering to himself about work the following morning, his girlfriend, why he talking to himself.

She took a breath.

There was someone in her house.

_And I think I know who it is. _

She lifted her head and looked at her reflection in the window glass.

Her eyes widened.

She opened her mouth to call someone's name.

"Sasuke—"

A cloth was strung between her lips, a kunai pressed at the base of her throat. The man behind her nicked a piece of her skin, only enough to draw a drop of blood. It ran down her collarbone and stained her shirt.

She could smell cigarette smoke on him, mixed with something awful.

He grinned, and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"_Too late."_

Her boyfriend turned around, his eyes cast downwards, balancing the stacks.

"Hey, Sakura—What the—!"

-

The Soundnins made their exit as quietly as they had made their entry.

The house was deserted, the light still on in the room.

Papers, light as feathers, fell gracefully to the floor, creating a strangely beautiful white mass as seemingly endless amounts of sheets drifted downwards. Some were caught by the wind from the open window, and fluttered outside, taking flight.

Minutes later, another figure burst into the house, this time not so stealthily, and not so quietly.

Footsteps down the hall, drawing closer to the paper-strewn room.

A scream.

* * *

Hmm... 

Maybe I should just kill them all off...xD

Don't worry. They won't die...yet.

AlternateEndings.


	12. Chapter 12

It was Sakura's house.

It was Sakura who was gone.

It was Sasuke in her house.

It was Sasuke clutching the wall for support, his knees threatening to collapse.

It was Sasuke reading the blood-red words scrawled messily on the tops of the now-white floor.

**It was Sasuke who was too late.**

**_I have missed you, Sasuke-kun._**

Sasuke let out a strangled, desperate roar into the night.

_Orochimaru._

-

Sasuke knew he had no time to lose. He sighed shakily, and stood up from where he was crouching against the wall, holding his head in his hands and rubbing his temples.

He decided to look for some clues.

But where to start!

He tread carefully on the papers, as though if disrupting them from their perfectly lain places would be bad.

Papers…papers…papers…

Suddenly, Sasuke heard a noise.

"Ughh…"

Sasuke turned around and whipped out a kunai, ready to fight whoever had just made that noise.

He looked around the room.

Nothing stirred.

He looked around once more, and was just about to put his kunai back when—

A figure rose shakily from the corner behind a table, clutching his head and groaning considerably. He smashed into the table and steadied himself, cursing.

Sasuke lowered his kunai and looked skeptical.

"Ichiwa Miruko?" He asked, disbelieving.

The man rubbed his eyes and readjusted his glasses.

"Huh? Yeah, that's me…YOU! AGAIN!" He attempted to run at Sasuke, but was still trapped behind the table, and rammed his hips instead. Groaning, he stepped around it, and staggered to stay standing.

"Now I **know **you've got something to do with Sakura's disappearance! You hired those Soundnins! They took her! They're going to kill her!"

Sasuke took Miruko by the shoulders and sat him on a chair.

"Soundnins? Did you say Soundnins?"

"Yeah, I said Soundnins you evil bastard! I can't believe you would go to this extremity to get Sakura! They'll kill her!"

"Shut up and listen! I. Did. **Not.** Hire. Soundnins! Okay!"

"Then who did!" His voice was getting squeakier.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pointed to the message on the floor.

"Why would I get people I hired to write that, huh? Dipshit." He muttered under his breath.

"I heard that!" Miruko called, getting ice from the fridge in the adjacent room.

"Good." Sasuke said. He made his way for the door and was just about to walk out of the house when Miruko stopped him.

"And where do you think you're going?" He asked, glaring.

"I'm going to get Sakura! If you haven't noticed, she isn't here."

Miruko scoffed and threw him back into the house, he himself walking out instead.

"No, _I'm _going to save Sakura. She's **my **girlfriend, after all."

Sasuke clenched his fists. It was bad enough that the prick was rubbing it in his face, but it was even worse when he was going to take the credit for saving her!

"You think **you **can save her? Sure, right away. I bet you can't even do one simple technique."

"Oh yeah? Just watch me!"

Miruko muttered something under his breath, and sent multiple kunai's at Sasuke, aimed for his head.

Sasuke disappeared.

All of them missed, and lodged themselves into the wall of his house.

Miruko gasped and spun around as he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

"Loser." Sasuke smirked.

"You evil Soundnin-hiring bastard!" He growled.

"For the last time, I did not hire those Soundnins!"

"I DON'T CARE! YOU'RE WASTING MY TIME!"

"**YOU'RE **WASTING **MY **TIME!"

"**SHUT UP!" **They yelled at each other.

_The battle of the male egos._

Sasuke sighed, defeated.

"Alright, fine. We're going to have to work together if we're going to get Sakura back. I can't lose her."

He muttered the last part to himself, but Miruko heard.

But, instead of getting mad, Miruko's mood softened, and he patted Sasuke on the back. Sasuke tensed, and glared.

"Alright, Uchiha. Let's go."

_You better not have hurt her, Orochimaru. _Sasuke thought to himself. _Or I will kill you._

_

* * *

_Must I prompt you to R**&**R?

AlternateEndings


	13. Chapter 13

From tree to tree Sasuke jumped, Miruko close behind, but very out of breath. Already it was nearing dusk, and they had still found no sign of Sakura or her captors.

Finally, amid the densest of the trees, they reached a clearing.

Nimbly, Sasuke jumped down and landed catlike on the ground, scanning the area for any signs of danger.

Seconds later, Miruko fell out of the tree and crashed ungracefully beside him, causing a pile of leaves to go up as if in smoke.

Sasuke narrowed and rolled his eyes before calling the okay to make camp and take a rest.

"Ichiwa, go collect some firewood. I'll go…spear a bear or something."

Miruko looked up indignantly from the multicolored pile of crisp leaves.

"Why don't **you **go collect some firewood. Spearing bears are for _men_." He smirked.

"Why don't _you_ go crochet some doilies, Ichiwa."

"Why don't **you **stop chasing after Sakura."

"Why don't _you _stop using urinals, since you don't need to?" Sasuke smirked. That was a pretty good one.

"Why don't **you **go measure the size of your calves?"

Sasuke sweatdropped.

"My calves." He said monotonously.

Miruko shrugged and looked innocent.

"Don't girls measure their calves?"

Sasuke hadn't actually thought about that.

He scratched his head.

By the time he was ready to come up with an answer, he noticed the place around him deserted. Miruko's footprints embedded into the ground showed he had run off to spear a bear.

Sasuke grumbled.

"DAMMIT!"

-

Sasuke sat, miserably, rubbing his hands near the flickering flame of the fire.

Out of the darkening forest came a running figure, and for a moment, Sasuke was about to greet the man as Naruto, that stupid dobe, and hit him on the head.

Had he missed him that much?

Miruko was red-faced and smiling.

"I speared us some dinner!" He said proudly.

Sasuke's eyes went wide, and he stood up, temporarily forgetting about his lack of heat.

"YOU SPEARED A FRIGGIN SQUIRREL! THERE ARE BEARS RUNNING RAMPANT IN THAT FOREST AND YOU SPEARED A **SQUIRREL!**"

Miruko glared and tried to save some of his manly dignity.

"Fine. Don't have any. More squirrel for me." He humphed in an unmanly fashion and sat opposite Sasuke, roasting his squirrel and glaring into the fire. Sasuke glared at the squirrel.

-

Sasuke and Miruko slept, their backs facing one another, trying to stay close for warmth but far for comfort.

It wasn't working.

Sasuke heard Miruko sigh.

Silence.

Miruko sighed again, louder this time.

Silence.

Chirping crickets.

An even louder sigh.

Sasuke reached over and hit Miruko over the head.

"Hey! What the hell was that for?"

"Stop sighing."

Silence.

"Hey, Uchiha."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Hn."

"Why do you like Sakura?"

Sasuke stiffened. He turned himself onto his back and realized that Miruko was on his back, too, his hands behind his head, gazing up at the stars.

He cleared his throat.

"Well…why do **you** like her?"

Miruko laughed softly.

"I don't just _like_, her Uchiha. I **love **her."

Sasuke stared at the sky. Miruko needed no prompting.

"I love her because of the way she smiles at me. The way she can brighten my day just by saying my name, or can make me have the most miserable day worrying about her. I love the way she apologizes, lets me hold her, wants me to hold her. I love the way she compromises, and cares about me. I love the way we can just look at each other and know that there is only us, and it doesn't matter what's going on, because we have each other. I love the way it isn't just skin deep. I love how we know that it's love."

He smiled, remembering her.

"I'm worried about her."

Sasuke nodded his head.

"So am I…so am I."

A faint breeze seemed to have a drowsying effect on the two men. Miruko yawned.

"So what about you? Why do you love Sakura?"

Sasuke took a moment's thought, visualizing her pink hair, her green eyes, her smile, her look of frustration, her look of worry.

He sighed.

"I love her because…because she's Sakura."

* * *

I'm too tired to say anything intelligent, so do what you always do.

AlternateEndings


	14. Chapter 14

Sasuke attempted to sit up.

Keyword: Attempted.

A sharp blade was pressed against his throat, and as he sat him, it was pressed harder, and before he could raise his arms to attack, they were pinned at his sides and tied at his back. He turned his head, and noticed a panic-stricken Miruko already being handled by two large men.

He heard a soft, reverberating laugh that seemed to hush the whole forest.

His head snapped in the opposite direction.

He narrowed his eyes.

There stood the snake master himself, smiling in adoration at Sasuke…

…holding a rigid Sakura by his side.

"SAKURA!" He yelled, straining against the rope. She turned her head away, almost as if in shame, and clung to the robe Orochimaru was wearing.

"SAKURA!" His voice was cracking, his fists clenched by his sides. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Orochimaru chuckled, and encircled his arm around her waist, pulling her slowly closer.

"Get away from her." Sasuke snarled. His former teacher just tsked, mocking mirth evident in his eyes.

"Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun. You really haven't learned much, have you?" Orochimaru nodded his head in his minion's direction, and they were dragged towards him. Sasuke felt a sudden sharp to the back of his knees, and they gave in, forcing him to kneel.

"I'll make a deal with you Sasuke-kun." Sasuke glared up at him, tugged at his bonds.

"Stay here, with me—"

"Never." He spat, jerking his hands. A muffled sob from Sakura made him look up.

"Well, you see, Sasuke." Orochimaru looked sideways at Sakura and smiled.

"If you don't…I'll just have to keep your precious flower."

Sasuke let out a grunt of frustration.

Orochimaru ignored him.

"For you see, my student…last night, Sakura and I were joined as one."

Sasuke looked up, aghast, desperation written on his face.

_It couldn't be…_

"Isn't that right, Sakura-chan?" Orochimaru turned to face her, and looked questioningly, smiling.

Sakura, tears streaming down her face, nodded…

…and leaned in to kiss him.

* * *

Ha.

Didn't think it was going to be an OrochSaku, did'ya?

We will see...

Sorry it was so short, and late.

AlternateEndings.


	15. Chapter 15

As Orochimaru's hand went to rest at Sakura's waist, and her shaking hands went to hold his face, Sasuke's blood began to boil.

It was over now.

So it was true.

_**Sakura never loved you.**_

"And what if…" Orochimaru dislodged himself from Sakura and looked happily at Sasuke's bent head, black hair shielding his red eyes, glowing with hatred, and hurt. "What if I say no. No, I won't come back."

Orochimaru walked behind him, and patted him on the head.

"Then I'm afraid…" He laughed sadistically, "you will have to sacrifice your friends as well."

"Wha—"

And then it was revealed: Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru.

_What! How could they have—_

"You're wondering how they didn't defeat me?" His former teacher chuckled. "I have my ways, Sasuke-kun, I have my ways."

He walked back to Sakura, and intertwined their fingers.

"So what do you say? Stay, and watch your friends relive their freedom? Or leave…and watch them die?"

Sasuke kept his eyes on the ground. Beside him, Miruko was doing the same, looking at him out of the corner of his eye, wondering what he would do.

Because Miruko had a newfound respect for the rival.

He watched as Sasuke thought, his brows furrowed, his jaw clenching as possibilities ran through his head.

This man was brave.

This man had a quality to aspire to.

Sakura looked down at him, a million different emotions running through her veins.

Because Sakura had a newfound love for him.

She felt tears flood her eyes, for the nth time that day.

Regret.

Guilt.

Hatred.

Realization struck her with full force.

Sasuke had given up on her.

He had seen the kiss, the kiss she and Orochimaru had shared.

**That kiss.**

Full of venom, hatred, disgust.

But devastation had clouded his reality of the kiss.

To him, the kiss had been passionate, full of love.

Sakura watched him think.

How she longed to run her hands through his hair, drag her fingers along the contours of his face, lay in bed with him, huddled close, his arms around her, the room; a comfortable silence, unspoken words of love lacing the air.

She had lost him.

And it was all her fault.

Sasuke raised his head.

He had been gone for so long, and the world went on without him.

His friends had changed, and he had not been there with them to share things they all could have had.

And it was time to pay them back.

"I'll stay…" Orochimaru clapped his hands together gleefully, blew a kiss to Sakura.

_We have succeeded, my love. _

"But not before you release them."

_Fly away, frightful bird, to the safety of your nest. _

--

Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, Miruko, and Sakura walked home in silence.

It felt as though there was nothing that could be said, nothing to get rid of the dead, suffocating air pressing around all of them.

No one would look at Sakura.

They turned away in pity, afraid they would catch a disease from her. Even Miruko had his hands in his pockets, eyes downcast, broken.

They had all seen the kiss.

Sakura felt like falling to her knees, crying.

She had never felt so alone, like there was no where she could turn to, no arms to run into. This was what she had become.

Sasuke had come to save her.

And she had left him to die, her savior.

* * *

So…should I just kill him off?

xP

AlternateEndings


	16. Chapter 16

Two days later and there was still no sign of Sasuke.

Miruko hesitantly reached to rub Sakura's back, but the minute his fingers brushed her skin, she jumped and turned, angered, and slapped his hand away.

He recoiled, and walked out of the room, thinking she needed some time to herself, mumbling a heartfelt apology before exiting.

Realizing what she had done, a hand flew to her mouth, and she rushed after him, putting her hands on his shoulders, trying to stop him from leaving.

Since Sasuke's forced departure, no one had looked at her in the same way. Miruko was the only one who had accepted her silence and taken her back in.

Had she been grateful?

Had she run back into his arms, happy he was there?

No.

Instead, when they returned, she had treated him coldly, demanding things, ordering him around, shouting all the time and throwing cushions at him.

And he hadn't said a word.

**He** had been the one apologizing, **he **had been the one to take the blame.

"Miruko, I'm so sorry, please…" He continued to walk, shrugging her off his shoulders, moving into the kitchen at a quicker pace, yanking open the fridge and pouring himself a beer.

"Miruko…no! Don't drink! I'm sorry—"

He took a violent swig.

"Have I done something wrong, Sakura? Is it me? Is there something wrong with me?" He looked at her with a mix of desperation, torture, and anger, imploring her, burning her with his fierce gaze.

She crumpled to the floor and crawled to him, clawing at his knees, ripping the bottle from his hands and throwing it against the wall, causing it to smash into tiny pieces.

"It's my fault, Miruko, I don't know what's come over me…it's just that, after that—"

"That after you kissed that bastard over there, you realized what? You decided you actually like him better!"

"NO!"

"You want to go back and grovel at his feet to take you back?"

"**NO!**"

"Then what do you want to do, huh, Sakura? Go back and join in his scheme to kill the Uchiha that put aside our differences for **you**?"

Sakura stood up, shaking, and raised her hand, laying a smarting _SLAP _across his face.

His hand reached up to touch the reddening spot where she had hit him.

His head sagged, and he sighed, defeated.

"There are only so many times I can say I'm sorry, Sakura."

He heard a sob.

He looked up slowly, wearily, to see her crying, her face in her hands, standing there shaking like a leaf. Like the first time they met.

Suddenly, Sakura walked up to him, and he stood from his chair, his back pressed against the sink.

And then her lips were attached to his.

His eyes closed involuntarily, but his hands were left limp by his sides. Her kiss begged him to kiss her back, her touch begging his hands to roam her body. She was becoming desperate; it was apparent in the little whimpers she made, the grunts of frustration.

Caught up in what came to him in a whirlwind, he never realized the cold air hitting his legs as his jeans fell to the floor, until she shoved her hands down his pants.

Two minutes later, her back was pressed against the cupboard, both their hair a mess, fervent hands shimmying up the sides of her body, kissing her lovingly.

She knew it was wrong.

She knew she was using him.

But she couldn't help it.

Positive that Sasuke was dead, a part of her heart felt wrenched from its proper place.

She had worn it on her sleeve, and now it was on the ground, broken into a million different pieces.

And the only man that could put them back together was dead.

And as Miruko's gentle hands stroked her cheek twenty minutes later as they lay on the couch, draped in blankets, their skin giving off a healthy heat as they kept each other warm in the dead of the night, steady breathing giving them comfort, she couldn't help but start to push him away.

"What's wrong?" He whispered, his breath unintentionally tickling just underneath her ear, causing her to shiver pleasantly and press up against him.

"I don't know…it's just that…"

"Uchiha?"

She gulped, and nodded, expecting him to push her away in disgust, but instead, he held her closer.

"So do I."

She looked up, surprised.

"You…you do?"

He nodded, smiling.

"I miss how he used to make you smile."

He smiled a slow, sad smile and closed his eyes.

She clung to his shirt and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Sasuke's funeral, next chappie!

Joking…but it might be…your call.

**R**&**R.**

AlternateEndings.


	17. Chapter 17

Sakura, adorned in a complimenting soft pink dress, walked up to the head of the procession, and took her place.

Her eyes were rimmed with tears, her nose was red, and her face was blotchy. Her hands were wrung together, gripping a single black rose in their sweaty, nervous clutches.

And it was then that she realized—Sasuke was **gone.**

_**Forever.**_

And even with all of her training, she could not bring him back to life.

She felt a flurry of anger come upon her as she clenched her fists, so hard that her knuckles turned white. It was all her fault. If only she hadn't been so stupid.

So weak.

So she realized, **this **is what Sasuke meant when he had called her annoying, when he had called her weak, and she had just thought that she would become stronger in strength, in knowledge, in power.

Being powerful and strong wasn't just about _being _it when you knew the time was coming, when it was blatantly obvious in battle, when you knew there were surprises.

It was being ready even if there wasn't a battle. When you least expected it. Being ready for the unknown.

She had taken so many things for granted. How could she have been so _stupid_?

Looking back, everything seemed so pointless. Her schemes, the little questions she asked, made her cringe outwardly.

And to make matters worse, they hadn't even been able to find a body to put in the casket. He died without her even getting a chance to tell him that…that she** loved **him. He had died thinking she betrayed him for Orochimaru.

She would never forget the look on his face.

So desperate, all hope drained from his face. **_Destroyed._**

She let out a loud sob, and buried her face in her hands. The coffin was instead filled with memories people had had of him, things that, when people looked or touched them, created an image of him in their minds.

A ripping, tearing sensation pouring through her body.

She couldn't breathe.

She was choking on her guilt, on the salty tears.

She wanted to faint.

She wanted nothing more than to die.

--

When the funeral was over, everyone left, a sour, stale atmosphere hovering around each and every one of them. Naruto, bawling his eyes out, had stayed longer.

Sakura had asked Miruko for some time alone. He had understood. He walked home without another word.

It quickly turned to dusk, and Sakura stumbled aimlessly, not sure what to do with her life. It had all seemed so simple before **he **had come back into her life. She knew where she wanted to go with Miruko, what paths in life she wanted to take.

Now?

"**THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, SASUKE!"** She screamed into the thick night hair. She ran, her heels slowing her down, and tripped on a stone. She screamed again in frustration. She wanted to break something. A dish, a plate, a cup. Something porcelain. Something that would shatter.

Expecting to fall to the ground, she felt her knees give in.

Two sturdy arms caught her.

Slowly, she looked up, a tear-stained face betraying her innermost thoughts.

He wore an ANBU mask, so she could not tell whether it was disgust or sympathy as he lifted her up and straightened her out.

"A-arigatou…" She mumbled, still clutching his shirt.

"Is something wrong? You've been crying." He stated gently, allowing her to lean on him for support.

She reached up to touch her face, and laughed bitterly.

"Is it that obvious?"

He cocked his head to the side, the whole elongated mask turning with him.

"I heard about the funeral. Uchiha Sasuke, wasn't it."

She nodded mutely, for fear of more spilt tears if she opened her mouth.

"You were…his lover?"

Her shoulders shook, and she shook her head.

"N-no…but I wish I had been!" She cried.

"I am sorry about your loss…" The ANBU trailed off. "But the funeral…how can I say this without offending you…"

She looked up sharply, suddenly taking a dislike to this stranger. Who was he to think that he could insult the funeral of a…of a _hero_?

"Who invited all those people?"

"I don't know." She gritted her teeth.

"Aa. And what was that blonde doing blubbering over that empty coffin?"

"DON'T ASK ME!"

"Hn. How has Miruko been doing?"

She stomped her foot.

"I DON'T CARE!"

The ANBU shrugged his shoulders, and bid her goodnight with a wave of his hand, and walked away.

She stood there for several more minutes.

Who **was **that guy?

She shrugged, and turned in the opposite direction.

"How has Miruko been doing…as if that really mattered…" She muttered to herself.

Miruko.

She stopped dead in her tracks.

How had he known about him?

Slowly, still hesitant about what she was thinking, she turned around, and started at a jog in the direction the stranger had gone in.

There was only one other person.

But that wasn't possible. He was supposed to be dead.

_There was no body, idiot. _Her inner self told her, sitting on a stool and filing her nails.

She started to run.

Could it be…

"**SASUKE!"**

**

* * *

**Scared you there, didn't I.

...I still could, you know.

So **R**&**R.**

AlternateEndings.


	18. Chapter 18

Sakura ran.

The man behind that mask just **had **to be Sasuke.

She could make out the figure just in front of her, hands stuffed into his pockets, head bent, unfamiliar ANBU mask lengthening his shadow.

"Sasuke!"

The figure didn't stop.

Anger fueled inside her.

"SASUKE, YOU STUPID JERKFACE! I'M TALKING TO YOU!"

She slapped an open palm on his shoulder and attempted to spin him around intimidatingly. All she effectively did was spin herself around to block his path.

_Whatever floats your boat, _**loser**Her Inner shrugged aimlessly.

Sakura growled.

"Who are you?" She spat nastily. The ANBU didn't look the least bit taken aback, as if he had expected it all the while.

He remained silent.

She let out a roar of frustration, and ripped off his mask.

At first, the face was shrouded by moonlight, and the features were rough and distorted by the shadows cast. He looked straight at her, dark eyes boring into her own, never blinking.

She gasped.

"Oh, my god…you…you came back."

She reached up to his face and gently turned it to face the light.

And retracted her hand as though he had a disease, horrified.

He was streaked in blood.

He didn't look away, ashamed.

Because he was making her feel ashamed.

"You smell like him." He whispered.

Her eyes dilated like saucers.

"Sasuke, you have to believe me when I say that it didn't mean **anything**."

He didn't answer.

"It was a ploy! He was going to make you _have _to go with him, and he used me!" She cried in anxiety. She grabbed his hands, and drew him closer, holding them just below her shoulders for dear life.

He cleared his throat.

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

Silence.

"Sasuke, tell me."

After more silence, she shook his hands, as if trying to bring him to life. But he already was. Living, but dead inside.

"He said…he said you…you two were mated." He whispered the last word so quietly, and so full of sorrow, that Sakura felt tears drop from her eyes, landing on the hands she was holding so closely.

"He lied."

Sakura stared at him, his disbelieving face. He wanted to believe her. He just didn't know how.

Her eyes traveled downwards, and rested on his Adam's apple. His jaw clenched in thought, his shoulders were even more slouched than usual.

"Miruko is waiting for you at home."

Her nails dug into his skin.

"Is that all you can say! You risk your life for me, and now, I tell you my deepest, darkest secret, **yes**, my deepest darkest secret, as corny as it sounds, is now up for grabs because I accidentally told **you**. And you tell me Miruko is waiting for me!"

"What is your deepest, darkest secret?" He asked. She thought there was a hint of amusement in his voice, but looking into his eyes, there was no trace. He was dead serious.

"You know what it is." She said through gritted teeth.

"I'm afraid I don't."

Sakura closed her eyes.

_Say it, you melodramatic moron._

And this time, her Inner wasn't joking.

* * *

This is for my cousins, who made me feel **beyond **special.

…maybe you should all do the same.

XP

AlternateEndings.


	19. Chapter 19

_Actions speak louder than words...idiot. _Her Inner hinted, slipping in yet another insult, as she was so prone to do.

Sakura took another deep breath, and unclenched her fists by her sides.

She was about to make a decision.

Watching her, Sasuke quirked an eyebrow hopefully, but realized what he was thinking, and sighed inaudibly. The secret? Probably that she's pregnant with Miruko's baby. Or that they scheduled their wedding after they assumed that he was dead.

Sakura's mind was made.

She opened her eyes and stared, unwavering, into his.

His lips were a thin, grim line, awaiting her answer.

She narrowed her eyes.

_**Two can play at this game.**_

She smirked. She could imagine his inner emotions. Shocked? Seething? Aghast? Yes, she had temporarily stolen his infamous scowl.

Flinging her arms around him in an almost murderous fashion, she shoved him against a nearby tree, and attached her lips to his with such force that by the time he had registered that she was kissing him, her tongue had already slipped in between his teeth, completely dominating the situation.

Oh, **no**.

He was not used to being pushed around like this.

In a matter of seconds, Sasuke had slammed Sakura in the position he had been in, so hard that she grunted from the force of the rough bark being pressed into her back. Holding her possessively in a vice-like grip, he thought he tasted the faint bite of lemons, but the sweet, lingering taste of an addicting honey that he couldn't seem to grasp as he heavily ravaged her mouth until it was raw.

He pulled away slightly, taking a breath for air, leaning against her, his whole weight on top of her. He enjoyed the feeling of her body crushing against his, and rested his head in the crook of her neck.

"What about Miruko…" He whispered, gently nuzzling the base of her throat.

"Since when have you had a conscience…" She whispered back harshly, going to kiss him again.

Sasuke turned rigid, and a change took place.

He broke free, trying to keep his heavy breathing under control, and turned away, looking up at the moon to calm his wild emotions.

Sakura, her eyes still closed, leaned against the tree for support, feeling as though she would fall the second she took a step forward.

She knew she had said something wrong. Something _hurtful_.

"Sasuke…I'm sorry…it just came out…I was caught up…" She stammered, her hands feeling suddenly clamped. The pace that her heart was beating against her ribcage was actually **painful.**

"Save it, Sakura." He whipped around to face her. "I guess that's why I'll never be good enough for you—"

"**I love you, Sasuke**." She said, loud enough for him to hear, but quiet enough for him to want to strain to hear her voice.

He was lost for words.

"My secret?" She scoffed. "I tend not to think about the past, but looking back now, it's embarrassing. I can't believe I threw myself at you like that." She cringed, and laughed bitterly, now starting to pace as her energy levels increased exponentially.

"I was desperate for your attention. One little emotionless nod of your head and I was squealing myself to no end as if I had died and gone to heaven twice over when I should have been burning in hell." She spat the last part, and kicked a stone, sending it rolling in the dirt.

"What…what do you mean?" He asked quietly.

"What do I mean? I mean, I've been pulling Miruko along a string, but I've been taking him **nowhere**."

Sasuke took a step towards her, but she put her hand up.

"Look at me. Just **look **at me. I can't even decide who I want to be with. Do I want to be with a man that will care about me until his last breath? Or do I want to be with a man that…I can't even think of words to describe you, Sasuke. A man who doesn't feel?"

"I FEEL!" He roared.

She jumped.

"I feel so little that I went back to save you, right? I feel so little that I can't be bothered to try to get what I want? I feel so little that I can't tell myself, over and over again, that in reality, I **can't stop thinking about you**!" He asked desperately. His rhetorical questions, to make her see.

Screaming her in the face.

_You're wrong, Sakura._

"I…I…"

"Accept me for who I **am**, Sakura. I can't be perfect. I tried once before."

"It's—"

"Tell you what, Sakura. You go home. Make up your mind. You can even get Miruko to help you." He said sarcastically, before being swallowed by the night.

Sakura swallowed.

_**Who was she to choose?**_

_**

* * *

**_

Yeah...who should she choose?

AlternateEndings._**  
**_


	20. Chapter 20

Sakura ran and ran…

…again.

She was going back and forth.

No one to blame but herself?

Too cliché for the real world, lovelies.

In reality, it was a complex web of emotions that weren't being solved.

_Because emotions **can't **be solved, genius._

She could picture Miruko right now: setting up a candlelit supper, complete with romantic background music and a wilting corsage in his funeral attire, which he would have forgotten to take off; something burning on the stove, perhaps. An oven mitt still snug on his hand.

He would take it off, flustered, when he caught her staring amusedly, and would chuck it behind him, blushing slightly, but still beaming.

He would wonder whether she liked it.

She would quickly lie, hoping he couldn't see the slight twitch of her leg that gave away her innermost thoughts. She would tell him she really appreciated it, she would sit—they would eat together.

They would go to bed, he would tell her a bedtime story. She would smile genuinely, and her eyes would close to the feel of his arm around her waist. Later, subconsciously, she would feel him lift his arm, slowly, so as not to wake her, and turn over on his other preferred side, holding his breath for a couple of extra seconds to make sure she was still asleep.

In the morning, she would make up her mind.

She knocked on the door. With all these thoughts, she would make up a lie now, instead of the minute she was asked.

No one answered.

"Hello?" She half hollered, trying to look through the curtained windows. She could see nothing, not even the silhouette of a body behind the drapes.

She tried to jiggle the handle, to no avail.

She tried banging on the windows.

She looked behind her. She was sure that whoever, if anyone, was watching, probably thought she was a crazed stalker or an amateur burglar.

She felt panic well up in her chest, before she remember about the spare key her and Miruko kept in the flower pot sitting, abandoned, on the small antique-looking chair. One of the legs was a bit shorter than the others, so it rocked when touched. She plucked the key out of the soil and dusted it off, rubbing the excess on the bottom of her shirt, slowly inserting it into the keyhole.

The house was dark, and she flicked the lights on, searching for Miruko.

He said he would be home. He left after the funeral, she had met Sasuke…

A feeling that was becoming familiar to her now rushed through her.

_**Guilt.**_

"Miruko?" She asked, stepping into the living room.

Moving on to their bedroom, she noticed a lump on the bed, rising and falling slightly.

She tiptoed over and peeked at the figure.

She couldn't conceal a quiet "awww…" as she peered on at the adorable face of a peacefully sleeping Miruko. His hands were balled, close to his chin, and his knees were tucked in. He had left enough room for her to slip in beside him, with a large gap, just in case she wanted to keep to herself.

She gently laid her clothes on the chair beside their bed, and sat on the edge, looking over her shoulder. He was still sleeping.

She swung her legs over and pulled up the covers. A strand of hair had fallen over his eyes, and she couldn't resist brushing it back. He stirred slightly, and he smiled in his sleep.

Maybe she would make her decision tomorrow.

* * *

Sakura is such a procrastinator.

xP.

AlternateEndings.


	21. Chapter 21

Miruko and Sakura woke up at around the same time, eyes opening to the familiar faces of each other.

Sakura had neglected to shut the curtains the night she came back, and the dawning sun was sending rays of warm light through the leaves of the trees just outside their window.

Miruko smiled hesitantly at her, and it made Sakura's heart wrench. She smiled back.

"Sasuke's back." She whispered.

Miruko's eyes widened, and he stretched his arms out in front of him.

"Are you…are you serious?"

She looked up nervously and nodded, and expected to see his face clouded with anger, resentment, possibly even a tinge of jealousy…

…but all she saw was surprise, and growing happiness.

"Sakura…that's…that's wonderful!" He grasped her hands in his. "When did he come back?"

She looked into his shining eyes.

"Last night." An emotion cast a dark shadow across his face, but he masked it with a façade of smiles.

"I guess," he laughed a little, "I guess that funeral was for nothing."

She gave a lopsided grin.

"Yeah, I guess it was."

He looked at her for another minute, then hopped out of bed and picked up his glasses from the bedside table.

"Hey, Miruko, sweetie?" She called, ramming her feet into her slippers and following him hastily out of the room.

"I'm going to visit…an old friend."

He turned and looked at her, and cocked an eyebrow.

"It's not Sasuke, I swear." She held up her hands in defense, and awaited his answer to her silent question.

He nodded his head, and turned back to making himself a quick breakfast.

Slipping on last night's dress, she put on a pair of sneakers and bounded out the door.

He sighed wearily, speaking more to himself as the door slammed,

"Just make sure you come home."

--

Sakura knocked on the door to a familiar room.

"Come in." A lazy voice rang out, sounding somewhat preoccupied.

Timidly, she pushed open the door, and quickly took in her surroundings.

A messy desk, piled with loose magazine clippings, and books scattered on the shelves. A swivel chair with a couple of holes in it, the stuffing popping out, across from it, a chestnut colored divan seated with a mahogany coffee table.

She looked to see where the voice was coming from.

The swivel chair spun quickly, revealing a man immersed in a thick hardcover.

He looked up and appraised her attire.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, you're too young for me. But I'm flattered that you dressed up."

She rolled her eyes, and raised a teasing eyebrow at the book he was holding.

He traced her line of vision and smiled broadly.

"I know! Isn't it great! They make them in hardcover **and **paperback!"

"Kakashi-sensei, put the book down. I need your help."

--

"Well, I never thought I'd see the day." He said while making them tea. "So what's the fellow's name? Ichiwa Miruko?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"And then…there's Sasuke." She could hear his smile, and glared. He ploughed on.

"I remember how you two would have those battles of words—"

"What are you talking about! It might as well have been me, talking to myself!"

Kakashi sighed, and handed her the cup. He sat across from her, and crossed his legs, making himself comfortable.

"Sakura, there are certain things you have to know about a man before you can judge one."

She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I've heard it all before, sensei, and it isn't that easy. Miruko, for instance. I mean, he's perfect. I'm so lucky to have him. He's beyond generous, he truly loves me. I can envision us in the future. A little old couple, the kind that walk together on a crisp autumn morning, and we'd definitely be happy. And then there's Sasuke. Brooding, broodinger, and broodingest. We'd either be fighting, or not talking at all. A silent household."

She watched as he stirred his tea.

"So, from what you've told me, there is really no other reason to go to Sasuke, is there?"

Damn his rhetorical correctness.

"There is something you are not telling me. Something you are not telling yourself."

She thought about it.

"I don't know…I guess it's just all those feelings I had for him before he came back."

Her former sensei took a swig from the cup and drowned the tea in one gulp.

"Why do you love—okay, okay, don't get defensive…why do you **like **Sasuke?"

She sighed.

"I don't know…I like him because…because he's Sasuke, I guess."

Kakashi smiled knowingly.

She narrowed her eyes.

"What!"

"Listen to your heart, Sakura-san."

…

"That was **so **corny."

"Hey," he shrugged, "Come Come Paradise teaches life lessons. You just have to be very intuitive to see them."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shut up.

Kakashi's hot.

XD.

AlternateEndings.


	22. Chapter 22

Okay, Sakura lied.

She did go to Sasuke's after she visited Kakashi.

He came to the door, his hair standing up more than usual, wearing baggy clothes and an annoyed expression.

"Sakura."

She cleared her throat.

"Sasuke."

They stood for an awkward moment of silence, before Sasuke reached a hand to scratch the back of his neck, and stepped aside, allowing her to enter. It seemed as though he was going through puberty, just getting used to his new body, moving around cautiously and experimentally.

"It's a…it's a nice place you have here…" She commented, dragging a finger along a table.

"Yeah…I, uh…got some freebies from where I work now…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah…"

He hovered behind her, wondering what her intentions were. She continued to survey the room, sighing.

"So…what do you do?"

He cleared his throat.

"Oh, I help around with the Hokage…" He couldn't suppress a grin.

She turned around and looked at him, a similar grin creasing her face.

"How did he take it when you came back when he thought you were…dead?"

He laughed a little, and coughed into his fist, not used to the sound he made.

"Naruto? He'll always be Naruto."

Another silence fell over them, and it was agonizingly frustrating, wondering what she was doing here at a random hour of the day.

"Would you…uh…like some tea?" He offered.

"Nah…I already had some…but thanks anyway…"

She sat on the sofa, and he followed suit, so that they were facing each other.

"Can you imagine us living together?" She asked forwardly.

He was slightly taken aback.

"Wha…"

"I mean, as a couple. Us. We. You and I."

She drummed her fingers on the armrest, and he was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Well, I guess…I mean, like in Team Seven…but…friendlier, I guess…we'll improve each other…"

He tried reasoning with himself, and mentally cursed himself for sounding so pathetic.

She crossed and uncrossed her legs.

"I've…I've made my decision."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kinda just hate her at times like these.

Oh well.

AlternateEndings.


	23. Chapter 23

Sakura rushed back home, happiness slowly fading as she entered the doors, anxiety taking over, followed by complete and utter loss of control as Miruko appeared before her with a strangely knowing smile on his gentle face.

"Oh, my god, I am so sorry, Miruko, I lied, I know, I did go and visit—"

"I know, Sakura." He said softly.

"Wh-what? I mean, I just had to…I'm so sorry." She whispered, feeling unbearable guilty.

Silence encompassed both of them, something she was starting to hate.

Miruko took her hands in his, and patted them reassuringly.

"I've come to terms with what has become of something that I thought was perfect, isn't so perfect at all."

She felt tears prick her eyes.

"Maybe it was too perfect. Ever since he came into the picture, things have changed."

She felt like changing her mind.

"Not that I resent him. In fact…I quite admire him."

She looked at him through watery eyes, mouth agape.

He shook his head, grinning, failing to conceal palpable sadness, tears of his own pooling behind his glasses.

"Enough of this. One goodbye hug for Miruko before you leave?"

He gave her puppy eyes.

"They never fail you." She half laughed, throwing her arms around him and wiping her tears on the shoulder of his shirt.

Pulling away was more than just physical.

She felt it in her heart, in the pit of her stomach.

Like a valued, loved possession, being tossed into a burning pit of fire, right before your eyes, only to watch it disintegrate into dust.

Things you can **never **get back.

"Go to him. I know you love him." Miruko said, smiling down at a panicking Sakura.

"But I love **you**, Miruko—" She said, bewildered, as she wringed her hands nervously, her heart beating faster.

"And I love you, **too**, Sakura, but you love me in a way that can only last until death. The way you love Sasuke is the kind of love that will last forever."

The wisdom in his words overwhelmed her, and she knew that, once she took her foot out of this house, there would be no returning, and if she stayed, there would be no going back.

She gulped.

"But—"

"**GO!**"

Taking one last glance at Miruko, Sakura ran, all the way back to Sasuke, bursting into his house.

"Sasuke!" She cried. He stopped what he was doing, but didn't turn around.

"What do you want, Sakura?" He asked monotonously.

"I just wanted to say…to say…I love you, and…ano…**_it's you_**."

He turned around, and, instead of seeing a happy, relieved expression, he was glaring as he walked towards her.

"What, because _Miruko_ said it was okay?"

"N-no…" She stuttered.

"Then what is it, huh? What's changed your mind?" Her gripped her chin tightly and jerked it up, forcing her to look into his eyes.

After a moment of silence, she dared reply.

"What changed yours?" She whispered. Her eyes dropped to the ground.

Sasuke fell still. What was he to say?

"I—I…it…well…you did." He let his hand fell limp to his side, suddenly unsure of what to do. They were both quiet, not moving. Finally, Sasuke cleared his throat and looked to the ceiling, squinting.

Inner Sakura glared in impatience.

_What is he, inspecting the lint?_

Sakura raised her eyes and glowered at him, going through a sudden attitude change.

"Are you going to kiss me or not?"

"Wh-what?" He looked back down at her, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Are. You. Going. To. Kiss. Me. Because if you're not—"

Sasuke cut her off and pressed his lips to hers, eager at her blatant invitation. The feel of her warm ones against his slightly cooler ones, the sound of her barely audible whimper, the way her body seemed to fit perfectly against his own, how just holding her was enough to make him eternally happy; set off a chain of reactions that would be altogether indecent to record.

But they knew that, if they could have before, would have fastforwarded to this ending long before things continued…

…so that they could start their new beginning.

-----------------------------------------

Holy shit, man.

It's over!

**Almost.**

AlternateEndings.


	24. Chapter 24

I lied.

(That was a really big hint.)

…

Yes, that last chapter was the ending.

-ducks flying objects and large axes aimed for head- PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! -runs-

Some people asked what happened to Miruko?

Whatever you want. Personally, I imagined him ascending into heaven after he committed suicide (extreme depression and Sakura-withdrawal) to watch over her.

Hehhe…joking. XD

--

Just like to thank, in no particular order:

**dancingwithinbrokendreams**, for being loyal to the Oreo, and this story;

**frienz4ever**, for nagging me to update;

**puppy444219**, for being that crazy girl with the confetti, and putting this story on her favorites list;

**Sodeno Shiroyuki**, for consistently leaving long reviews that not only accomplished the task of making me feel good, but also put forward suggestions;

**Crushed Promises**, for being there;

**kawaii chibi sasuke luver**, for getting scared;

**IM.FLIPPIN.RAD**, for, besides having a user name that always cracks me up, dropping reviews that always leave me smiling like a crazed banshee on steroids;

**Jennjennr**, for, indeed, making me feel beyond feeling special, every time;

**MysticalMidnight**, for starting and staying until the end (and for being a super-fast reviewer);

**WeLcOmE2pArAdIsE**, for being a fan of morbid romantic tragedies DD;

**Fading Nightmares**, for being a fan;

**And everyone else, who have made it fun to write.**

Aww...-cries- You guys are the BEST!**  
**

But before you start crying over me I **do **have another story, **_Kyuubi Care Not Included_**, in the works, a romantic SasuSaku comedy, which will be updated probably pretty soon.

Also, if you have any requests for pairings/a story line to write, I'd be truly **_honored_**.

Limited to not only Naruto pairings, i.e., Fruits Basket, etc..

I really hate FF sometimes, though.

All this time, for the last chapter, I'm trying to make this totally pretty ending ruler thing, but every time I save changes, it thinks its correcting some grammatical horror, and deletes it.

Oh, I was also listening to this really (in my opinion) addictive song, **_The Zephyr Song _**by _Red Hot Chilli Peppers_. The chorus is a tad corny, but if you're ashamed you can always pretend its heavy grunge music and shake your head to its beat. DD

Anyway, I digress.

**Do you think this should have a sequel? Or do you think it should be left as it is? **

A little deviation from topic, again. Last time, I swear.

These random OOC moments have been brought to you by a very special person. By special, we're not really sure, but on with the weirdness:

**Sasuke:** You disgust me.  
**AE:** -glomps- Awww! Cheer up, emo kid!  
**Sasuke:** -has the wtf look-  
**Itachi:** -snortlaugh- HAH! You went EMO cause of ME!  
**Sasuke:** -twitch- must keeelll... -twitch twitch-  
**Itachi:** -gulp- Gotta go! -runs for it-  
**Sasuke: **-doing that breakdance move on the floor, foaming at the mouth- must –twitch- keeelll………-twitch twitch-  
**AE:** -has been watching amusedly-

**Sasuke:** I'm an experiment?  
**AE:** Yes. Shut up.  
**Sakura:** Oh! Sasuke-kun! Experiment on me! -slutwink-  
**AE/Sasuke:** -shudder-

XD

And because I decided I couldn't keep my promise about diverging;

Until next time,

AlternateEndings.


End file.
